20 Ways To Show Off

20 Ways to Show Off
By Sheikh Salman b. Fahd al-Oadah

General Supervisor of the IslamToday Website
INTRODUCTION
Praise be to Allah; we praise Him, seek His forgiveness, and turn to Him in repentance.
We seek refuge with Him from the evils of our souls and the evils of our deeds. Whomever
Allah guides, none can misguide, and whomever Allah leads astray, none can guide. I
bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone without partner, and I bear witness that
Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
Allah created the human being and exalted him above all other creatures. First of all, He
gave him the most perfect physical form. Allah says: “Truly, We have created the human
being in the best of forms.” [Sûrah al-Tîn: 4] Nothing in Creation comes close to the
human being in the perfection and harmony of its form and the excellence of the parts of
its body.
Then Allah exalted the human being with something far greater, something that clearly
sets him apart from all other things in existence. He graced him with the gift of reason
and the honor of being directly accountable to his Lord. Hence, Allah speaks to us
directly in the Qur’ân, saying: “O human being!” Allah is not addressing merely our
bodies, but our minds and souls. This is why a person who is insane is not held
accountable in Islamic Law. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The pen has been
lifted from three: a sleeping person until he awakens, a small child until he matures, and
an insane person until he comes to his senses.” 1
It is clear to all sensible people that the gifts of reason and true humanity, and the honor
of direct accountability before Allah are the greatest blessings that Allah has bestowed
upon mankind. Allah, from above the seven heavens, calls out to us and addresses us
directly. Surpassing all of these honors is the fact that Allah chose His Messengers from
our kind. Allah says: “Allah did confer a great favor on the believers when He sent
among them a Messenger from among themselves.” [Sûrah Âl Ìmrân : 164]
The greatest honor that Allah has conferred upon humanity is our direct accountability to
Him, and the highest expression of this accountability is to worship Allah with true
sincerity and devotion. Therefore, we shall discuss in this short treatise a great threat to
that sincerity. This threat is the human tendency to show off.
1
Musnad Ahmad (24173, 24182, 24590). Sunan Abî Dâwûd (4398). Sunan al-Nasâ’î (3432). Ibn Mâjah
(2041). These narrations are all from `Â’ishah, and there are other chains of transmission from other
Companions. The hadîth is authentic (sahîh).
http://www.islamtoday.com
Our discussion will be divided into two chapters:
1. The first chapter will discuss inward and outward aspects of worship.
2. The second chapter will discuss the problem of showing off and investigate twenty
ways that this ignoble quality can creep up on a person.
I ask Allah to bless us to be able to avoid this problem and save us from our tendency to
show off. I ask him to make this short treatise beneficial to the people. Truly Allah is All-
Hearing, All-Seeing.
CHAPTER ONE
Inward and Outward Aspects of Worship
Allah created the human being, his most noble creation, to worship Him. Allah says: “I
did not create the Jinn and humanity except to worship Me.” [Sûrah al-Dhâriyât: 56]
Worship is any lawful activity by which a person seeks Allah’s pleasure. It may be an act
of formal worship that is only done for Allah’s sake and never for worldly gain, like the
prescribed prayers, the fast, payment of alms, or the pilgrimage. It may also be a lawful,
mundane act like engaging in business, agriculture, manufactur e, study, or employment,
if such an activity is pursued sincerely, honorably, in the best manner, and with the hope
of attaining Allah’s pleasure. In this way, the most mundane acts can earn Allah’s
reward.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There is the reward of giving charity when you
approach your wives.”
The Companions were startled by this and said: “O Messenger of Allah! When one of us
fulfills his desires, he receives a reward for it?’
The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “Can you see that if you approached a woman
in a forbidden manner, you would be punished for it? Likewise, when you approach your
wife in a lawful manner, you receive a reward for it.”
Outward Aspects of Worship
Every limb of the body has some act of worship to perform. Let us take the eyes as an
example. The eyes worship Allah by looking at what they are commanded to look at.
Allah says:
“Will they not look at the kingdom of the heavens and the Earth. ” [Sûrah al-A`râf: 185]
“Say: Travel through the Earth and look upon what was the end of those who rejected
faith.” [Sûrah al-An`âm: 11]
Using the gift of sight can be an act of worship. It is worship to look upon the Creation of
Allah and marvel at its perfection. It is worship to use one’s eyes to read and acquire
knowledge.
The ears also have their designated acts of worship. They are used to listen to what
pleases Allah, like the recitation of the Qur’ân, the remembrance of His name, and the
acquisition of knowledge. This is why Allah says: “Surely the hearing, the sight, the
heart, all of these shall be questioned.” [Sûrah al-Isrâ’: 36]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) has told us that Allah says: “My servant continues to
come closer to me with voluntary acts of worship until I love him, and if I love him, I
become his hearing by which he hears, and his sight by which he sees.”2 – meaning that
he hears and sees only what is pleasing to Allah.
The hands have their worship to do as well. They give in charity and engage in numerous
good works. They are used for the prevention of evil. The Prophet (peace be upon him)
said: “Whoever amongst you sees something wrong being done, he should change it with
his hands. If he cannot do that, then with his tongue. If he cannot do that, then at least in
his heart, and this is the weakest of faith.” 3 Greeting ones brethren and shaking hands
with them is worship, since this wipes away sins and purifies the heart.
The same can be said for all physical exertions made for the sake of Allah, like fighting
to defend the faith against the enemies of Islam.
A believing woman is no different than a man in this respect. Her acts of worship are by
her own hands. Moreover, her taking care of her children and all the work that she does
in the home can be added to her list of good deeds. These activities fall under obedience
to Allah. They are a means of attaining nearness to Him as well as a way of pleasing her
husband.
Even the feet have there share of worship designated to them. With them, the worshipper
walks to the daily prayers at the mosque and the Friday prayer. Allah says: “Verily We
shall give life to the dead and We shall record that which they send forward and the
traces they leave behind.” [Sûrah YâSîn : 12]
When the tribe of Banû Salamah wished to relocate in order to be closer to the Mosque,
the Prophet (peace be upon him) told them to stay at their present homes, explaining to
them that every step they take while walking to the mosque is recorded with Allah,
saying: “Your homes record the traces you leave behind.”4
And Allah describes in the Qur’ân how this recording takes place “...in a Book wherein
my Lord never errs nor forgets.” [Sûrah TâHâ: 52]
2
Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6502).
3
Sahîh Muslim (49).
4
Sahîh Muslim (665).
Allah also says: “It is He who made the Earth traversable, so walk through its tracts…”
[Sûrah al-Mulk : 15] Traversing the Earth to ponder over the lessons to be found therein is
worship which the feet can engage in.
Just as the devotions of the limbs are mentioned, so are their sins. The sin of the eyes is
for them to gaze upon forbidden things. The sin of the ears is for them to listen to
backbiting, slander, calumny, curses, music, and whatever else displeases Allah. The sin
of the tongue is for it to utter lies, to backbite, slander, and curse, and to ridicule the
believers. The sin of the hands is for them to steal, abuse others, and transgress against
the Muslims. The sin of the feet is for them to walk towards sin, whether it be in the
home, the marketplace, or a foreign land. All of these are sins of the limbs.
Look how Ma`n b. Àws boasts in verse how he has safeguarded his limbs from sin,
neither stretching his hands toward sin, nor letting his feet carry him towards disobeying
Allah:
Upon your life! I never stretched my hand towards a dubious affair,

Nor have my feet ever carried me towards denigration.
Neither has my hearing nor my sight guided me there,

Nor have my thoughts or ideas brought me hither.
I know that no affliction has ever befallen me

That has not afflicted a young man in times gone by.
The tongue is one of the greatest appendages possessed by the human being, since its
devotions include such noble activities as the remembrance and praise of Allah, the
recitation of the Qur’ân, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong.
From all of this, we can see why the formal prayers are one of the greatest forms of
worship, since these prayers require devotions from every limb of the body.
The eyes engage in worship by fixing their gaze upon the spot where the forehead will be
placed during prostration.
The ears engage in worship during prayer by listening to the recitation of the imam with
silent concentration. Allah says: “While the Qur’ân is being recited, listen to it attentively
and silently that perhaps you might receive mercy.” [Sûrah al-A`râf: 204]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When the imam is reciting, listen to him
quietly.”5
5
The arms and legs engage in worship when the person performing prayer stands, bows,
prostrates, and sits. The tongue engages in worship by remembering and glorifying Allah
and by reciting the Qur’ân.
In this way the whole body humbles itself before Allah and engages in His worship,
making prayer one of the greatest forms of devotion.
It is therefore, remarkable, that in spite of the tremendous virtues of prayer, Allah has
directed the following threat to some of the people who pray when He says: “So woe to
the people who pray, but who are inattentive about their prayers; those who but want to
be seen of others but refuse to supply even neighborly needs.” [Sûrah al-Mâ`ûn : 4-7]
This lets us know that what matters is not merely the outward motions of prayer, since
the people that are being addressed by these verses are described as people who perform
their prayers. Though they pray, they are threatened with woe, meaning that they will
face punishment in the Hereafter. This is because they only performed the prayers with
their bodies while there hearts were devoid of humility and devotion. Their bodies were
lined up in the mosques in the ranks of the worshippers. Their faces were turned towards
Mecca. The ir hearts, however, were directed towards something else, longing only to
achieve the praise of men and win their trust or to attain some other worldly benefit.
Allah describes the se people in the following words: “When they stand up to prayer, they
stand lazily to be seen of men, but little do they remember Allah.” [Sûrah al-Nisâ’: 142]
Inward Aspects of Worship
We now turn our intention to the greater, more important facets of worship, the internal
ones – the devotions of the heart and of the inner self. Allah says: “Set your face to the
religion in true sincerity.” [Sûrah al-Rûm: 30] To direct oneself to Allah, to rely on Him
alone, and to seek his countenance through one’s deeds is the greatest form of worship
there is. It is what purifies and beautifies the heart. It is accomplished through the love of
Allah and a constant awareness of Him. This is the distinction that the believers have
over the sinners and the hypocrites.
Just like a person takes care of his outward appearance, wears nice clothes, and worries
about public tastes in his manner of grooming, he should also take care to beautify his
inner being. And just as he would hate to go out in public in a disheveled state, he should
also be aware that the corruption of his inner being is far more odious.
A poet once said:
A man will not with his tasteful attire endear himself to the one he has wronged
Any more than a cadaver is enamored of the finery of his burial clothes.
A beautiful funeral dressing is of no benefit to the deceased. Likewise, a person who
possesses an evil, envious, hateful nature does not get any benefit from his good outward
gestures. This is the lot of the hypocrite.
A poet writes:
O servant of the flesh! How wretched you grow from your service.
How you have wearied yourself in your fruitless labors.
Turn to your soul and labor to perfect its virtues,

For you are by virtue of your soul, not your flesh, a man.
A person does not become a true and noble human being on account of his physical
strength. If this were the case, then ma ny a beast of burden or beast of prey would attain
the highest nobility and most sublime humanity. This is why the bodies of men and
women are not the measure of their worth.
Inspired by this fact, a poet writes:
You regard a man emaciated and scorn him,

While in his garments is the epithet of a lion.
You are impressed by the well groomed man and test his mettle,
Only to be disappointed by this man of impeccable appearance.
The camel is of great size, but without any ken,

So his great bulk ultimately avails you not.
The puniest of birds has the largest number of chicks,

While the she falcon scarcely has any chicks at all.
Size and quantity are not all that matters, nor is a good outward show. What matters most
is the heart. If the heart is pure, the body follows, but if the heart is rotten, the whole body
is corrupted. The most pious Muslim, Abû Bakr, was a lightweight, slender man, but in
spite of that, if his faith were weighed against the combined faith of all the Muslims, his
faith would weigh more.
Then there was Àbd Allah b. Mas`ûd who was one of the dearest people to the Allah.
The Companion Hudhayfah b. al-Yamân said: “Those among the Companions who
possessed reliable kowledge all knew that Ibn Mas`ûd was the closest and dearest of them
to Allah.” 6 Now, Ibn Mas`ûd was extremely slight of build, actually puny, and his shins
were very skinny. He was so small that the wind would cause him to sway to and fro. The
Companion Zur b. Hubaysh relates that Ibn Mas`ûd was harvesting branches from an
arâk tree whe n the wind came up and caused his whole body to turn. People began to
6
Sahîh al-Bukhârî (3762). Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3806). The wording here is that of al-Tirmidhî.
laugh at him, and Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) asked: “What are you laughing
at?” They replied that they were laughing at his skinny legs. To this the Prophet (peace be
upon him) said: “I swear by the One who possesses my soul! Those two legs are
weightier in the Balance of the Hereafter than Mount Uhud.” 7
Just as there are people who pay careful attention to their appearances but are neglectful
of their inner selves, there are those who keep up a good image by doing supposedly
pious acts conspicuously and who are careful never to slip because of the ir fear of public
recrimination. Any slip would ruin their reputation, because their status is built upon their
being good imams, scholars, or Islamic workers. For this reason they are scrupulous in
maintaining their outwardly good conduct, but not out of any real desire to follow the
Sunnah or obey Allah. Their hearts are full of the love of this world and the love of fame.
They are so concerned about their status and their reputation that they have no time to
think about the Hereafter and how they should prepare for it. They have no time to think
about the problems afflicting the Muslims and how to solve them. They do not think
about calling others to Islam. Their hearts are devoid of the love of Allah and the love of
his devoted worshippers. They also feel no fear of Allah. They do not hope for his
reward. Their hearts, which are the receptacles of love, hate, hope, anger, joy, and
sorrow, are not focused on the worship of Allah at all.
Allah describes the unbelievers in the following way: “This is because they followed that
which displeased Allah and they hated to please Him, so He made their deeds of no
effect.” [Sûrah Muhammad: 28] We can see how the heart is the crux of all matters. So
what is the value of outwardly good works that are hated by the heart of the one who
performs them? What is the state of a person who abstains from some sinful deed while
loving it in his heart and fee ling joy when someone else commits it? Such a person will
almost invariably fall into the sin sooner or later.
Such a person who loves what Allah hates and hates what Allah loves will without doubt
act upon what is in his heart. The love or fear that he has harbors in his heart for some
created thing – the fear that he has of men, of sickness, of poverty, of death, or of the
rulers and the desire that he has for worldly gain, for prestige, or for a position – will
ultimately guide his hands just as a king guides his subjects. His actions will obey the
directions of his heart. This is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “In the body is
a peace of flesh that if it is healthy, the whole body is healthy, and if it is corrupted, the
whole body becomes corrupted. It is the heart.”8
The heart dictates and the limbs obey. This is why Allah has made salvation in the
Hereafter dependent upon the sanctity of the heart. Allah says: “The Day wherein neither
wealth nor sons will prevail, except for him who brings to Allah a sound heart.” [Sûrah
al-Shuàrâ’: 88-89] So the one who brings to Allah a sound heart will find benefit in his
wealth, his children, and his deeds, for his limbs would have already availed him. As for
the one who comes to Allah with a heart that is dead or sick, he will find no benefit in
anything else.
7
Musnad Ahmad (3991). Sunan Abî Ya`lâ (5310). Mu`jam al-Tabaranî (8452).
8
Sahîh al-Bukhârî (52). Sahîh Muslim (1599).
A person whose heart is devoid of the love and fear of Allah, a heart which has no
affection for pious people and no love for righteous deeds, is to Allah a person who has
no heart, even if the lump of flesh can be found in his chest. Allah says: “Not alike are
the living and the dead.” [Sûrah Fâtir: 22] The comparison here is between a believer and
an unbeliever or between a pious person and a sinner.
Allah says: “Can he who was dead, to whom We then gave life and a light whereby he
can walk among the people be like him who is in the depths of darkness from which he
cannot escape? ” [Sûrah al-An`âm: 122]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The likeness of two people, one who remembers
his Lord and one who does not, is that of the living and the dead.” 9
Allah says: “Verily in this is a message for any that has a heart.” [Sûrah Qâf: 37]
All of this confirms a great truth that we must acknowledge : that the purity of the heart
and sincerity of purpose are the basis upon which all of a person’s works must rest. If the
heart becomes corrupted, good deeds are of no avail. When a person’s intention is no
good, nobility of purpose is lost and the person swerves from what is right. When the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Actions are but by intentions”, he was talking about
all actions. The acceptability of any outward action is contingent on the intention behind
it, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “…and every person will have only what he
intended.” Actions of the heart, however, are a different matter. The heart’s deeds such as
fear, hope, and love, differ from outward actions in that they, being unseen by others, are
not subject to the risk of being for show. They either happen for the sake of Allah or they
do not happen at all. One of the distinguishing features of the actions of the heart is that
they can be cause for reward even if the person possessing them does not perform any
outward act.
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was approaching Madinah on his return from the
Battle of Tabûk, he said to his Companions: “In Madinah there are some people who did
not travel nor did they even cross a valley, but they were with you.”
His Companions asked him: “O Messenger of Allah! While they were in Madinah?”
He replied: “Yes, while they were in Madinah and were prevented by circumstances.” 10
This idea was expressed by a poet who wrote:
O you who traveled to the Ancient House! It is thus,

That you went in body while we went in spirit.
We were prevented by hardships we had to endure,

And thus we are like the ones who went forward.
9
Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6407). Sahîh Muslim (779).
10
Sahîh al -Bukhârî (4423).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned that there will be people who will enter
Paradise who did not do good works because they were prevented from doing so. Abû
Hurayrah used to ask his peers to tell him about a man who went to Paradise after never
having prayed a day in his life. When they could not answer, he would mention to them
al-Usayrim from the tribe of Banû Àbd al-Ashhal. 11
Al-Usayrim was a man who refused to accept Islam when the rest of his people did so.
On the day of the Battle of Uhud, he came to accept Islam. Then he picked up his sword
and went out to join the battle along with his people. He fought until he was mortally
wounded. After the battle, when the tribe of Banû Àbd al-Ashhal began looking for their
dead, they found al-Usayrim on the verge of death. They were surprised because they had
left him behind.
They asked him: “What brought you here, your love for your people or a desire for
Islam?”
He replied: “My desire for Islam brought me here. I believe in Allah and his Messenger
so I accepted Islam. Then I picked up my sword and went forward with Allah’s
Messenger and fought until I came to this.”
He died shortly thereafter. They mentioned this to Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon
him) who said: “He is among the inhabitants of Paradise.”12
Showing Off as a Way of Destroying One’s Deeds
A person can receive great rewards from Allah on account of his good intentions alone,
even if he is prevented from carrying out the intended deed. On the other hand, the deeds
that he performs can become bereft of blessings if they are not accompanied by a good
intention. Such deeds can actually be sinful.
There are many hadîth that warn us against destroying our good deeds. Showing off is
one of the most serious causes of our deeds going to waste.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) relates to us that Allah will say: “Go to those who used
to show off in the world and see if they found their reward.” 13
He also relates that Allah says: “I am in no need of partners. Whoever does a deed for the
sake of others as well as me, I leave his deed for those others.” 14
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A man will be brought forward on the Day of
Resurrection and thrown into the Fire. His entrails will come forth from his throat and he
11
Musnad Ahmad (23634).
12
Al-Haythamî, Majma` al-Zawâ’id (9/362). Al-Haythamî states that all of its narrators are trustworthy
(thiqât).
13
Musnad Ahmad (23119, 27442).
14
will hang from them going around like a donkey goes around a mill. The inhabitants of
the Fire will gather around him and ask: ‘What is with you? Didn’t you used to enjoin
what is right and forbid what is wrong?’ He will reply: ‘Yes, I used to enjoin what is right
but not do those things myself, and I used to forbid what is wrong but not refrain from
them myself.’” 15
Some people might get the idea that this man was punished because he enjoined what is
right and forbade what is wrong while he had many shortcomings in his own deeds. This
is a big mistake, because the task of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong
is inherently worthy of reward as long as the person engaged in it is sincere and has the
right intention. This man was being punished because he did the very evil deeds he
forbade others from doing and spurned the very duties he called others towards. He was
merely beautifying his outward conduct while his inner being remained corrupt. His
punishment was for his sins, not because he enjoined what is right and forbade what is
wrong.
As for the verse: “Do you enjoin right conduct on others and forget to practice it
yourselves and yet you recite the Scripture? Do you not have any sense?” [Sûrah al-
Baqarah: 44], it means that Allah rebukes them and punishes them because they turned
away from the truth though they knew it full well. This makes them different from those
who are ignorant of the truth, who if the y come to know it would most likely follow it.
Therefore, we should know that enjoining what is right is something we owe to the
people, even if we fail to do what is right ourselves. The same goes for forbidding what is
wrong. A poet once said:
If no sinner exhorts others to righteousness,

Then who will exhort the sinners after Muhammad?
No one after Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) is divinely protected from
committing sins. It is, however, the duty upon every person to accomplish the following
four things:
1. To do what is right.
2. To enjoin others to what is right.
3. To abstain from what is wrong.
4. To forbid others from doing wrong.
Failure to perform one of these four duties does not give us the right to neglect any of the
others. Therefore, someone who commits a sin still has the duty to call others to avoid it.
Showing off in words and deeds is a sickness that can get a person thrown into the
Hellfire. Such a person, on the outside , appears to be righteous. His concern for what
others think of him earns him the reward of their high esteem but not the pleasure of
Allah. The praise of the people is sufficient for him.
15
This is the type of hypocricy that the earliest Muslims were afraid of falling into. Al-
Hasan al-Basrî said , speaking about the tendency to show off: “I swear by Him in whose
hand is my soul. No one feels safe from it except for a hypocrite and no one fears it
except for a believer.” They were afraid that it would creep unnoticed into their deeds as
Allah says: “…lest your deeds become vain and you perceive it not.” [Sûrah al-Hujurât:
2] 16
Al-Bukhârî placed in his Sahîh a chapter entitled: “A person being afraid that his deeds
will become vain while not perceiving it”. In this chapter, he mentions a hadîth related by
Anas b. Mâlik that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) inquired of the whereabouts
of Thâbit b. Qays. A man said he would go and find out about him. The man found
Thâbit sitting in his house with his head hanging down.
The man asked : “What is the matter with you?”
Thâbit replied: “It is very bad. A person used to raise his voice above the voice of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) so his deeds have become vain and he is now one of the
people of the Fire.”
The man returned to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and informed him of what Thâbit
had said. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to the man: “Go back to him and say to
him: ‘You are not from the people of the Fire but from the People of Paradise’.” 17
CHAPTER TWO
Twenty Ways to Show Off
Since the tendency to show off is so dangerous, we must be very wary of it and know its
causes and the ways that it can come about. With this in mind, we will discuss twenty
different ways that this tendency to show off can manifest itself.
1. Publicizing one’s good deeds:
Some people go around intentionally taking about the things they have done, boasting
about their virtues. They cannot sit with others without saying: “I did this and I did that…
I spent so much in charity.” Sometimes they can be a bit more subtle, saying things like :
“Actually, I cannot stay up in prayer at night more than two hours…” or: “Unfortunately,
I cannot cope with fasting every day, so I must suffice with fasting on Mondays and
Thursdays…” In this way, they want to show others just how much they are praying and
fasting.
They only publicize their good works and make sure to perform them in front of others in
order to earn the people’s praise. This is why it is preferable for most acts of worship to
16
The entire verse reads: “O you who believe, raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet nor
speak aloud to him in talk as you may speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds become vain and you
perceive it not.”
17
Sahîh al -Bukhârî (3613). Sahîh Muslim (119).
be done in private. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “O people! Pray in your
homes, for truly the best prayers are those that a person prays at home, with the exception
of the prescribed prayers.” 18 It is, therefore, preferable for voluntary prayers to be made
in the privacy of one’s own home. This protects the worshiper from the whispers of Satan
and makes certain that the prayers are not being performed for show. It also prevents the
home from becoming like a graveyard where no prayers are made. A further benefit of
praying at home is that it impresses upon the children of the house the importance of
prayer. However, voluntary prayers that are supposed to be made in congregation are an
exception to this rule, like the eclipse prayers, the prayer for rain, the Tarâwîh prayer, and
the two `Îd prayers (if we deem the `Îd prayers to be voluntary).
The same goes for charity. Allah says: “If you make public your charity, it is well, but if
you conceal it and give it to the poor, then it is better for you.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 271]
A person should always give charity in secret and not give it publicly unless he can make
sure not to fall into showing off and sees that making it public will bring about some
greater good. Sometimes public charity can encourage others by example. In the case of
spending on the war effort, it can make the enemy cower.
Some people do charitable works publicly to get their names printed in the papers or to
receive official recognition for their works. If the intention of such individuals is to
garner more public support for the charitable efforts in question, then it is good.
Otherwise, it is merely showing off. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Actions are
but by intentions, and every person will only get what he intended.” 19 Allah says:
“Whether you hide your words or make them known, He certainly has full knowledge of
what is in the hearts. Should He who created not know, and He is the Subtle, the Aware?”
[Sûrah al-Mulk : 13-14]
2. Making false claims:
There is a type of person who likes to boast about things he never did. He may claim that
he struggled for Islam with patience and forbearance. He may eve n claim to have
suffered persecution and hardships in the path of Allah. If he meets someone who does
not know about his past, he goes on to tell him: “I used to do this and I used to say
that…”, speaking about a past more embroidered than true.
This person goes on like this in front of others in order to earn a reputation for himself.
This behavior is worse than the one we have just gotten through discussing, since it
combines between two evils: showing off and lying. The Prophet (peace be upon him)
said: “A person who claims to be given things he has never been given is a double liar.”20
One trick is for a person to leave his own country and go to another so he can pass
himself off to them as some great martyr by embroidering tales about himself.
18
19
20
A poet wrote:
Claims not backed by solid proofs

Turn their claimants into braggarts.
Then there is the poser who wishes to pass himself off as a learned person. He claims that
he spent years studying with a certain sheikh and that he was one of his nearest and
dearest disciples.
I know a person who claims that he memorized the Qur`ân with its seven different styles
of recitation. He would say to people : “I learned from a number of sheikhs” then go on to
mention the names of the leading scholars of our time. I know t his person, and I know he
cannot even read the Qur’ân properly from a book, forget about his reciting it by heart or
knowing different styles of recitation.
Some people, though, are more insidious than that. There is the person who speaks about
the scholars of our time – especially those among them who have died – as if they were
his colleagues, not his teachers. This person will tell you anecdotes about those sheiks as
if he had experienced them firsthand. In this way, he is trying to fabricate a relationship
between himself and these sheikhs that does not exist. This is a sickness of the heart that
becomes only more horrendous when it afflicts those who are supposed to be people of
knowledge.
3. Becoming a show-off after having been sincere:
A person begins doing something for the sake of Allah alone, like offering prayer ,
spending in charity, or glorifying Allah in an audible voice. Then he realizes that people
can see him. This makes him do even more. He prays a little longer, spends a little more,
or glorifies Allah with even greater eloquence. When a person finds himself in this
situation, he should fight against the urge to show off. He should say what the Prophet
(peace be upon him) taught Abû Bakr to say to ward it off: “O Allah! I seek refuge with
you from associating partners with you knowingly and I seek your forgiveness for what I
do unknowingly.”21
If the intention to show off establishes itself in his heart and he continues to increase his
efforts to impress the people, then his works will fall under one of the two following
outcomes:
If his deeds were of a nature that they could be divided into separate acts, then he will be
rewarded for what he did for the sake of Allah and will be sinful for what he did to show
off to the people. For example, a person gives two hundred pounds in charity. The first
hundred he gave sincerely for Allah’s sake. The second hundred he gave to impress the
people. He will be rewarded for the first hundred and be sinful for the second.
21
Al-Bukhârî, Adab al-Mufrid (716). Al-Hakîm al-Tirmidhî, Nawâdir al-Ùsûl (4/142).
If his deed was of a kind that cannot be divided, like a single prayer, then his showing off
nullifies the deed in its entirety.
Some people fall victim to the opposite affliction. They become so scared of showing off
that they avoid performing good deeds because of it. They have jumped from the frying
pan into the fire, so to speak.
True sincerity is to be concerned with Allah and to disregard the people altogether,
neither performing deeds because of them nor abstaining from deeds on their account.
This brings us to the fourth way of showing off:
4. Abandoning deeds because of the people:
Al-Fudayl b. Ìyâd had harsh words for those who abandoned performing good works
because of the people. He said: “Abandoning deeds because of the people is showing off.
Performing deed for their sake is polytheism. Sincerity is where Allah protects you from
both.”
Some people go to the mosque. Then when they get there and see the people there, they
become afraid of showing off. They start to come to the mosque late because of this and
might sometimes miss the prayer altogether. This becomes their habit. Coming to the
mosque early becomes one of the most difficult things for them to do.
Some people who read or memorize the Qur’ân, when they see that others are listening to
them, become afraid of showing off. They stop reading the Qur’ân. This is tragic,
especially when the people who do so are among those who have memorized the Qur’ân
or who teach it to others.
Abandoning one’s good deeds is a grave error. What the worshipper must do is cease to
worry about created beings altogether, neither performing anything for their sake nor
abstaining from anything for their sake.
One of the reasons for this behavior is that the person who is supposed to perform a given
deed has an exaggerated view of his own importance and the importance of what he is
about to do. He may have to give the Friday sermon or give a small talk after prayer
where he can encourage what is right and discourage what is wrong. He begins to
imagine that what he is doing is some great deed and that people will start quoting his
words. Maybe he thinks that what he has to say will become the talk of the town. He may
become a bit impressed with himself at this point, and here is where he starts to fear
showing off. He sees the only way to play it safe is not to talk and not to act.
This is one of the devil’s tricks. The only way for a person to stay immune to it is to
accustom himself to doing good deeds and to see those deeds as small and insignificant
when he does them. He must at the same time accustom himself to not attaching any
importance to what people say. He must be able to recognize his own faults and realize
the shortcomings in his works. Then, when someone offers him unwelcome praise, it will
not harm him in any way. Such praise will then be as the Prophet (peace be upon him)
described it: “…glad tidings being presented to the believer early.”22
5. Making worship noticeable in a subtle way:
A person might conceal his worship, or at least seem to be doing so, while making sure
people know about it in a roundabout way. For example, a man might be busy with
praising Allah or seeking his forgiveness. He keeps his remembrances quiet, but he
moves his lips in a conspicuous manner so that anyone who sees him will know that he is
engaged in the remembrance of his Lord. He might even raise his voice once in a while
ever so slightly to bring attention to himself. What he desires is for people to praise him
for what he is doing. Actions are but by intentions, and every person will have only what
he intended. Therefore, if a person inadvertently draws attention to himself, not meaning
to show off, then there will be no harm. However, if he does something ever so subtle
with the intention of drawing attention to himself, then he has not only showed off but
made a pretense of sincerity while doing so. And Allah says: “Whether you hide your
words or make them known, He certainly has full knowledge of what is in the hearts.
Should He who created not know, and He is the Subtle, the Aware?” [Sûrah al-Mulk : 13-
14]
A pe rson, when food is presented to him, abstains from it and says: “Today is Thursday”
as if to imply that he always fasts on Thursdays. The Prophet (peace be upon him)
instructed us that when food is presented to us, we should eat it if we are not fasting, and
if we are fasting, we should make a small prayer for the one who offered us. 23 A good
prayer would be something like: “May Allah bless you in your food and drink and in
what Allah provides for you.”
6. Conspicuous humility:
A person might make a show of deprecating himself, stating all the time how deficient he
is. He says how he does no good works and how his deeds are not enough. What he
means by all this is to make a display of his humility.
Whether or not he actually believes himself deficient, he goe s on in this way until Satan
makes him believe that he is free from showing off, when actually Satan has been
accompanying him in his absurd display all along. What is needed for a person to be
balanced, neither deprecating himself for public viewing, nor praising himself.
7. Bringing attention to the faults of others:
Satan can approach a person by way of the faults of others. By criticizing someone else’s
mistake, a person implies that he is free from the same.
22
23
Sahîh Muslim (1431). Musnad Ahmad (7691).
A man might say: “You know – God forbid! – so-and-so never gets up at night to offer
prayers!” Translation: “I pray at night.”
“I never saw such-and-such fast a day in his life.” Translation: “I fast a lot.”
“Whats-his-name never gives in charity, though he has much more money than I have.”
Translation: “I am not like him. I give in charity.”
If this person had any sense, he would say as a poet once said:
Because of myself I weep, not because of others,

For myself, from myself. Bother the people!
Or maybe he should say as al-Shâfi`î said:
Let not your tongue mention the shame of another,

For you yourself are covered in shame and all men have tongues.
If your eye falls upon the sins of your brother,

Shield them and say: “O my eye! All men have eyes!”
Those who busy themselves with the shame of others have many specialized ways of
backbiting at their disposal to help elevate them above those they criticize. Ibn Taymiyah,
in his Fatâwâ 24 , mentions a number of these:
One strategy is to frame one’s slander in the form of concern for the religion and for
reform. Statements of the following sort ensue:
“Now, it is not my general practice to say anything but good about other people. I hate
backbiting and lying. I only wish to inform you about this person.”
“I swear by Allah, he is a good man, but he does such-and-such.”
“We must pray for him. O Allah! Forgive us and forgive him.”
With these statements, a person can ridicule another while at the same time seeking to
deceive Allah about what he is doing, as if that was possible.
Then there are those who belittle others just to make themselves look good. A person like
this might say: “If only I prayed for him yesterday, I would not have heard this horrible
thing about him today.” To make himself appear clever, someone might say: “So-and-so,
you must understand, has a weak intellect.”
24
These strategies employed by people for backbiting others can be found in Majmû` al-Fatâwâ (28/237).
Another person makes his slander of others appear in the form of jest , as if his only
intention is to make people laugh. However, what he does in order to make his
companions laugh is to ridicule another person, belittle him, and mock him.
Another uses amazement and astonishment as an excuse to say something bad about
someone else. He might say: “I am startled that so-and-so does not do that!” or: “How it
is that he can do such a thing!” In this way, the slanderer maligns the name of another
with the excuse that he was overcome with amazement.
Someone else feigns concern or pity in order to get in his nasty remarks. He might say:
“Poor so-and-so, I am so sorry about what happened to him. It is a pity what he got
himself involved with.” Someone who hears this might think the speaker is genuinely
distraught about what happened to that person. In reality, though, he would probably
increase that person’s miseries if he was able to do so. He might even say these words in
front of that person’s enemies in order to give them the chance to take their revenge on
him. This is a very serious sickness of the heart and a horrible form of deception.
Then there is the person who makes a show of anger and righteous indignation in order to
backbite another. He may use the most eloquent words possible with the seeming intent
of condemning an act of wrongdoing, but his true intentions are vile indeed.
8. Safeguarding one’s status and reputation:
When a person becomes known for righteousness and piety, he tends to love building his
reputation further in the same manner. He begins to fear losing the esteem of others that
he presently enjoys. He guards himself from any apparent laxity in his conduct. He makes
sure to keep pace with others or to outdo them in good works, at least publicly. He does
not do this out of any religious devotion, but in order to earn respect.
He may speak to the people , preach to them, and exhort them to do what is right, not
because he feels that they need it but because he feels that they expect it from him. The
meaning of what he says is not his concern. It is only his reputation and status that matter.
This trap is a subtle one and an easy one to fall into. Actions are but by intentions. A
person is either doing these things for Allah’s sake – for which he will be rewarded – or
merely to save his reputation.
9. Speaking about matters in a way that alludes to the idea that one is engaged in
them:
A person might say the following: “If a worshipper recites the Qur’ân a lot, it becomes
easy on his tongue, and he reads with more fluidity, especially when he prays late at
night.” Translation : “I did this act and had this experience.”
Likewise, a person might say: “Some people think fasting is tiring and difficult.”
Translation: “I am in the habit of fasting.”
A person’s secret devotions can become public in this manner. A man says: “You know,
so-and-so made the call for the Morning Prayer a half hour before its time.” In this way,
he reveals to everyone that he is in the habit of getting up early for prayers.
Let us look at how the scholars of old handled a similar situation. Sa`îd b. Jubayr asked
his fellows: “Which of you saw the shooting star that went across the sky last night?”
Husayn b. Àbd al-Rahmân added: “I did.” Then he quickly added: “I had not been
praying; I had been stung by a scorpion.”
The reason he mentioned that he had been stung by a scorpion was to dispel the obvious
conclusion that his companions would come to: that he had been praying throughout the
night. The early Muslims were very careful to avoid praising themselves and did not like
mentioning their own virtues.
Those who mention such things in order to show off may earn the people’s praise, but
their deeds lose all blessings. If somebody makes such statements without the intention of
showing off, then his secret devotions still become public. He will be rewarded for them,
but the blessings of those devotions will be less.
10. Putting oneself on a pedestal:
A person embarks upon learning about a certain religious topic. He delves into it deeply ,
investigating every minor issue and every subtle detail. He commits whole texts to
memory and learns the opinions of many authorities. Then, when he sits among a large
number of people, he begins to speak. Of course, he speaks on that very topic that he
investigated so thoroughly, rattling off the names of different scholars and what they had
to say, giving every citation from memory, down to the page number. He pours out to
them everything he has memorized. What is the reason for all of this? It is so people will
point to him and call him a scholar.
He may have the pretension to use turns of phrase reserved for true people of knowledge.
He might say things like:
“I see the matter to be such-and such…”
“What is quite evident to me is that …”
“The stance that we take on this issue is…”
He has the audacity to speak in the manner of an authority in the field, while he is a mere
beginner. A poet writes:
They say: “This is, in our opinion, impermissible”

Who are you, though, to have an opinion?
11. Refuting the people of knowledge:
A person may be incited by Satan to speak badly about the people of knowledge or to try
to refute and contradict them. His purpose in doing so is to make himself visible by
standing upon their shoulders. He wants people to say that he refuted or dumbfounded a
certain scholar. He wants the news to spread that he got into a debate with a certain
prominent sheikh and overwhelmed him with his arguments.
He might succeed in bringing scholars down only to make himself more famous. While
doing so, he might even offer a prayer for them to make a show of his affection and
concern. He could say: “So-and-so – may Allah have mercy on him – said this and that.”
He may even make a pretense of pity and compassion, saying: “Poor so-and-so, he has
been afflicted with holding such an opinion.”
Another approach he may use is to feign a desire not to talk about him. If someone
mentions to him the name of a certain scholar, he might say: “I do not wish to get
involved with discussing that person” or “Leave him alone. May Allah conceal both his
faults and ours.” or “Let us not talk about him. May Allah protect us from speaking badly
about someone.” This is a very subtle way of putting that scholar down. Only the astute
actually realize what is going on.
12. Seeking knowledge to acquire fame:
A person may be incited by Satan to seek religious knowledge and to study it extensively
with the sole purpose of becoming a muftî who people will come to with their questions ,
or a scholar whose name will go down in history, or maybe an Islamic activist who
people will rally around.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned that three people would be the first on the
Day of Resurrection to be scorched by the Hellfire. One of these three was: “…a man
who acquired knowledge and taught it to others, who recited the Qur’ân. He will be
summoned and asked what he did during his lifetime. He will say: ‘I acquired knowledge
and taught it to others and I recited the Qur’ân for your sake.’ Allah will tell him: ‘You
lie! You only acquired knowledge so people would call you a scholar and read the
Qur’ân so you would be acclaimed as a Qur’ân reciter. These things were indeed said
about you.’ At this point an order will be given and this man will be dragged on his face
and cast into Hell.” The others mentioned in this hadîth were a man who fought in
Allah’s cause and a man who gave in charity, both with the intention of showing off. 25
A person like this, once he acquires the fame and status that he desires, will be
approached with the people’s questions. There will be times where he will not know the
answer. At these times when he should admit he does not know, he will instead fear the
people and worry about their opinion of him. He will not want them to say: “How come
you don’t know the answer and you are supposed to be such a learned person?” For this
25
reason, he will make something up and answer in ignorance. He will in this way misguide
himself and others.
Once a man of knowledge ascended the pulpit and was asked a question. He answered: “I
don’t know.”
One of the people in attendance spoke up and said: “The pulpit is not a place for ‘I don’t
know’!”
To this the man of knowledge said: “I have ascended to this position where I am with the
knowledge that I possess. If I were to ascend on par with my ignorance, I would reach the
sky.”
Imam Mâlik once said: “Whenever a scholar abandons saying ‘I don’t know’, then he has
met with destruction.”
13. Feigning humility:
Satan may incite a person to make a pretentious show of modesty and humbleness. He
will clasp his hands together, raise his shoulders, and lower his head in an insincere and
inordinate display of submissiveness. Often the behaviors exhibited in these displays go
against the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him).
Àbd Allah al-Qurashî relates that Ùmar b. al-Khattâb once saw a young man lowering
his head in prayer. Ùmar said to him: “Raise your head. Humbleness does not increase
on what is actually in the heart. Whenever people make their humbleness visible, they are
just making a visible display of hypocrisy. 26
The Sunnah of how the worshipper should carry himself in prayer is well known. The
correct thing for the worshipper to do is to focus his eyes on the place where his forehead
will go in prostration. His hands should be folded over his chest or his diaphragm with
the right hand covering the left. This is the position of the majority of scholars and is the
one mentioned in the hadîth related by Wâ’il b. Hajar, which is the most authentic hadîth
in this regard. 27 The worshipper should be balanced and moderate in standing, sitting,
bowing, and prostrating, as this is the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Satan might sometimes come to a reciter of the Qur’ân and encourage him to cry during
his recitation with the notion of making the listeners feel humbled before his recitation
and to inspire them to weep as well. Yet, the larger the congregation, the more he cries,
until he comes to a point where he can hardly recite.
Then we have the supplication known as the qunût made by the imam in Ramadân at the
end of the prayer. We can see and hear amazing things happening during this
26
Al-Daynûrî, al-Majâlisah (1692, 3434).
27
Sahîh Ibn Khuzaymah (479). The hadîth can also be found in Sahîh Muslim (401) without mention being
made of placing the hands on the chest.
supplication. Tears are summoned up and wept out in torrents by a person who may have
just finished reading the most powe rful, fearsome, and awe inspiring verses of the Qur’ân
without being moved in the least. So how is it that when he comes to the supplication of
the qunût, we begin to hear loud cries and sobs?
Ibn Jawzî devotes a chapter to this type of showing off in his superb book entitled Talbîs
Iblîs (The Devil’s Deception). He writes:
Chapter: The Devil’s deception through false humility, lowering of the head,
and establishing law
If fear embeds itself in the heart, the body will show it. Such a person will not
even be able to conceal his feelings. What is reprehensible is for a person to make
an effort to show humility, induce crying, and visibly hang his head in order to
appear like an ascetic and have people come up to him to take his hand or kiss it
or beseech him to pray for them. He prepares himself for supplication as if he can
bring down an answer from heaven.
We have mentioned how Ibrâhîm al-Nakha`î, the prominent student of the

Companions, used to detest it when people asked him to make a prayer for them.
Some people display so much fear that it makes them very shy and submissive,
unable to raise their faces to the sky. This is not a virtue, because there is no
humility greater than that shown by Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). In
Sahîh Muslim, there is the hadîth of Abû Mûsâ al-Ashàrî where he says that
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) used to often raise his head to the sky. 28
This hadîth shows that turning one’s face to the sky is a recommended practice
for the sake of drawing lessons from the signs in its creation. Allah says: “Do they
not look at the sky above them, how We made it and adorned it and there are no
flaws in it?” [Sûrah Qâf: 6] He also says: “Say: Look at what is in the heavens
and on Earth.” [Sûrah Yûnus:10 101]. This shows the falsehood of those Sufis
who go years without ever looking at the sky out of what they claim to be a show
of humility.
Abû Salamah b. Àbd al-Rahmân said: “The Companions of Allah’s Messenger

(peace be upon him) were neither deviant nor were they like dead people. They
used to recite poetry in their gatherings and talk about the times of ignorance.
However, if you were to attack any one of them in matters of religion, his eyes
would become like those of a madman.”
Kahmas b. al-Husayn relates that a man in the company of Ùmar breathed

sighing breaths as if he was trying to show grief, so Ùmar struck him.
`Âsim b. Kulayb al-Jarmî relates: “My father met with Àbd al-Rahmân b. al-
Aswad who had a habit of walking along the side of the wall out of false humility.
28
My father said to him: ‘What is it with you that you walk against the wall like
that? I swear by Allah, when Ùmar walked, he planted his feet firmly on the
ground. He made his voice heard when he spoke.”
Abû Khaythamah relates that al-Shifâ bint Àbd Allah saw some young people
walking meekly and speaking slowly. She asked them: “What is this?”
They replied: “We are ascetics.”
To this she said: “I swear by Allah, when Ùmar spoke he made himself heard,
and when he walked he walked briskly, and when he hit someone, he inflicted
pain. And he was an ascetic for real.”29
14. Overemphasizing certain conspicuous works, even to the point of going against
the Sunnah:
Some people become fixated on a certain type of work to the point where Satan can incite
them on account of it to go against the Sunnah or to violate Islamic law.
Take jihad for instance , since some of our young people today have become very
interested in it. No doubt it is a great act of devotion. The Prophet (peace be upon him)
said: “There are one hundred levels in Paradise that Allah has prepared for those who
engage in jihad for the cause of Allah. The distance between any two levels is like the
distance between the sky and the Earth.” 30 He also said that the pinnacle of Islam is jihad
in the way of Allah. 31
Allah makes jihad the greatest of works when he says: “Do you consider the giving of
drink to the pilgrims or the maintenance of the Sacred Mosque equal to the service of
those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and strive with might and main in the cause
of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah; and Allah guides not those who do
wrong. Those who believe and emigrate and strive with might and main in Allah’s cause
with their wealth and their lives have the highest rank in the sight of Allah. They are the
people who shall achieve success. Their Lord gives them glad tidings of mercy from
Himself, of His good pleasure, and of Gardens for them wherein are delights that endure.
They will dwell therein forever. Verily with Allah is a great reward.” [Sûrah al-Tawbah :
19-22]
The gate of jihad is one of the greatest gates of Paradise, but jihad has its causes, its rules,
and its conditions. A person who wishes to participate in jihad should learn the laws
regarding it. He should learn how, where, and when to engage in jihad. He should know
under whose banner he should fight. Moreover, such a person must first engage in a
personal jihad to purify his intention. How many people are killed in the ranks of the
believers and Allah alone knows their intentions. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
29
Ibn al-Jawzî, Talbîs Iblîs (280-283). Al-Minbariyyah Publishers.
30
31
Musnad Ahmad (21542). Sunan al-Tirmidhî (2616). Sunan Ibn Mâjah (3973).
“Whoever fights so that the word of Allah is the highest word, he is the one who has
fought in the cause of Allah.” 32
A man had fought along with the Prophet (peace be upon him) until he was slain . The
Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I saw him in the Hellfire.”33 Later, he mentioned that
he saw the man being punished in a cloak that he had stolen.
Then there is the case of another man who fought alongside the Prophet (peace be upon
him). He was severely wounded and in agony, so he placed the base of his sword on the
ground and its point against his chest. Then he killed himself by falling upon it until it
came out through his back. The Prophet (peace be upon him) informed his Companions
that that man was in the Hellfire.
Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we purify our intentions and acquire the
requisite knowledge before engaging in such work.
We have seen the children of the Islamic Awakening going fourth in ranks into the
fiercest of fighting. They have demonstrated the utmost heroism, bravery, and mastery
over the world. We saw the young men who had lived lives of recreation and comfort,
pull themselves away from it suddenly, departing their lives of leisure and luxury and the
places of fun and games, looking for death in the cause of Allah in the mountains and
ravines of places like Afghanistan, Palestine, Chechnya, and Bosnia. We have books and
cassettes filled with their many heroic stories.
This shows the truth of what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said when he informed us
that jihad would be going on until the Final Hour , despite all the changing circumstances
and despite how much the Muslims might lag behind in the world. He said: “There is no
emigration after the conquest of Mecca but there is jihad and intention. If you are called
upon to fight, the n go forth.”34
At the same time, it should be known that jihad requires the express permission of one’s
parents. Some of our young men, unfortunately, leave for jihad without first receiving
their permission. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked which deed was most
beloved to Allah, he said: “Prayer on its time.” Then when asked what came next, he
said: “Honoring one’s parents.” Then when asked what came next, he said: “Jihad in
Allah’s cause.” 35
The Prophet (peace be upon him) placed honoring one’s parents before jihad. Once a man
came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and sought his permission to participate in
jihad. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him if his parents were living. When the
32
Sahîh al -Bukhârî (123, 2810). Sahîh Muslim (1904).
33
34
Sahîh al -Bukhârî (2783,2825). Sahîh Muslim (1353).
35
man replied in the affirmative, the Prophet (peace be upon him) told him: “Your jihad is
in serving them.” 36
On another occasion a man approached the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: “O
Messenger of Allah! I have come because I want to go in jihad along with you and seek
the countenance of Allah and the abode of the Hereafter. I have come and left my parents
weeping.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Go back to them and make them laugh just as
you have made them weep.”37
Satan entices people to go against Allah’s Law in this way. For instance, he tricks some
people by beautifying a given Islamic duty, though other Islamic duties may be more
serious, goading him on with it until he abandons those more important duties. He might
deceive a person into thinking that some work is an individual duty on every Muslim,
when in fact the decision to engage in such duties is one of those difficult matters that
requires the discretion of qualified people of knowledge. This person may even be
deceived into condemning those who do not participate in the same works.
It is possible for one of these people to start talking to others about his experiences while
engaged in jihad, mentioning things that he saw and did and talking about miracles that
he had experienced, though such events may never have actually ta ken place. I saw
someone who had his hand bound up and who claimed that he had been shot in the hand
during a battle. When his matter was investigated more closely, it turned out that it was
all a charade.
The scholars of the early generations – the Salaf – were the strictest people in guarding
against the tendency to show off, especially when it came to jihad.
Àbdah b. Sulayman al-Marwazî relates: “We went on an expedition against the Romans.
A Roman who was very strong and severe came forth. No Muslim could draw near him
without being struck down by his sword. The Muslims became very afraid of him. Then a
shrouded man went to attack that Roman, striking him with his sword until he cut through
him. He then hurried back to the military camp. I followed him and opened his shroud to
find that it was none other than the great philanthropist and eminent scholar of Hadîth
and Law, Àbd Allah b. al-Mubârak! He became very angry about what I did and said:
‘Even you defame us!’” (Àbd Allah b. al-Mubarak meant by this that the man made his
identity and his deeds known to the public) Look at how he tried to conceal his good
deeds. See as well how Àbd Allah b. al-Mubârak was able to join together many types of
good works, like acquiring knowledge, fighting in jihad, and spending in charity.
36
37
Sunan Abî Dâwûd (2528). Sunan al-Nasâ’î (7/143). Sunan Ibn Mâjah (2728). The hadîth is authentic
(sahîh)
15. Making a show of religious zeal:
A pious person begins to talk about sinners. He speaks at length, describing, nit picking,
and bewailing. He might even go so far as to curse people and threaten them. He
exaggerates matters to the extreme as if he is trying to say: “I am very zealous about the
sanctity of the religion. I am righteously indignant when it comes to my Lord, the Prophet
(peace be upon him) and the believers” What he does not realize is that the way he is
showing off is a far graver sin than many of the sins that he is discussing and condemning
so viciously.
16. Conspicuously neglecting one’s outward appearance:
This is one of the most subtle ways of falling into the sin of showing off. Satan might
inspire an individual to go about with disheveled hair and humble attire and make an
ostentatious display of asceticism and humility. The Sunnah, on the other hand,
encourages a person to care about his appearance. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used
to take good care of his hair. He would comb it and apply scent to it. It is , however,
related that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to forbid people from oiling their hair
excessively. 38
It is also related that he said: “Whoever has hair should honor it.” 39
It is befitting for an Islamic worker to dress nicely, be tidy, take care of his hair, stay
presentable, and smell nice. He should keep his hair combed and nicely arranged. He
should take care of his appearance without going overboard and wasting his time on it.
17. Making a display of lowering one’s gaze:
A person can make turning away from something into a conspicuous act. When a man
sees a pretty woman or some other sight that a Muslim should divert his eyes from, he not
only diverts his eyes but lowers his head or turns away. Now, this is not necessary. All
that is required from him is to divert his gaze. He does not have to make a big show of it.
Such behavior is pretentious. It may be that Satan causes this same individual to continue
to sneak discreet glances.
Allah says: “Allah knows the treachery of the eyes and all that the hearts conceal. ”
[Sûrah Ghâfir : 19]
38
Musnad Ahmad (16793). Sunan al-Tirmidhî (1756). Sunan Abî Dâwûd (4159). Sunan al-Nasâ'î (5055).
Al-Tirmidhî declared it a good and authentic hadîth. (hasan sahîh)
39
Sunan Abî Dâwûd (4163). Mustadrak al-Hâkim (8485). Al-Manâwî discusses this hadîth in Fayd al-
Qadîr (11439), saying: “(Al-Suyuti) indicates that it is a good hadîth. This comes originally from Ibn Hajar
who writes in Fath al-Bârî that it’s chain of transmission is good. The hadîth is also supported by a hadîth
of `Â’ishah found in al-Ghaylâniyât, which also has a good chain of transmission.
18. Abandoning one’s worship from fear of falling into hypocrisy:
Among the most serious of problems is when Satan fools somebody into abandoning his
worship of Allah to avoid being a hypocrite or being called one. Take, for example, a
reciter of the Qur’ân, a teacher, or an Islamic worker who falls into some unseen sinful
acts on some occasions, like looking at someone unlawfully. Such a person should repent
to Allah and try to avoid falling into the sin again. Satan, though, does not give up that
easy. He suggests to that person that he is a hypocrite, since he presents an image of piety
to the people but commits sins in secret.
Now, Satan is not going to suggest as a solution that the person should strive to overcome
his sins and rectify himself. Instead, Satan encourages him to give up the good works that
he is doing and to forsake the company of righteous people. He encourages him to give
up teaching others and leading prayers. His argument is that it is not fitting for that
individual to do such outwardly good deeds while sinning inwardly. Satan may say to
him something like : “If the people know what you do when you are alone, they would
spit in your face and avoid you like the plague.” Satan keeps at him like this until he
gives up doing any good deeds.
Allah says: “And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the
approaches of the night. Indeed, good works remove evil deeds. This is a reminder for
those who are mindful.” [Sûrah Hûd: 114]
19. Withdrawing from the company of others and going into seclusion:
A person may turn away from the company of his fellow men and eschew their company
because he thinks he is better than they are. If he had, on the other hand, decided to avoid
others so they could be safe from his harm and abuse, he may have had a point. This is
what Imam Ahmad did when he limited his interactions with others at the end of his life.
People said to him: “O Imam! It is being said that you are renouncing the company of
others.”
Imam Ahmad replied: “Who am I to renounce other people? Quite the contrary, it is the
people who are renouncing my company.”
It is wrong to renounce the company of people out of a sense of superiority to them. This
is nothing but pride and arrogance. It is a way of praising oneself. In a hadîth it is related:
“Whoever says: ‘The people are in ruination!’ is the most ruined of the lot."40
20. Being deceived by some fleeting act of devotion:
Satan can trick a person into thinking that some singular act of devotion, like shedding
pious tears, is good enough to suffice him. Some people bring themselves to weep during
prayer in the nights of Ramadân – and maybe only one night out of the year – or maybe
40
they will attend the Tarâwîh prayer, then Satan convinces them that this made up for
everything wrong that they have so far committed. In this way, he encourages them to
keep up their sinful ways.
We ask Allah to protect us all from the wiles of Satan and from this special type of
polytheism that he likes to cultivate in our hearts. We seek refuge with Allah from the
evils of ourselves and our deeds.
CONCLUSION
We hope that we have made plain some of the ways the sin of showing off can sneak up
on a person and make his deeds bereft of blessings. We hope from Allah that he blesses
us with true sincerity and protects us from polytheism and from showing off, whether we
do it consciously or unconsciously. Allah is the only one who can help us.
We conclude by saying: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. And may Allah’s
peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and
Companions and upon those who follow their good way until the Day of Judgment.

20 Ways To Show Off

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20 Ways to Show Off

By Sheikh Salman b. Fahd al-Oadah

Outward Aspects of Worship

Upon your life! I never stretched my hand towards a dubious affair,

Neither has my hearing nor my sight guided me there,

I know that no affliction has ever befallen me

Inward Aspects of Worship

A poet once said:

Turn to your soul and labor to perfect its virtues,

Inspired by this fact, a poet writes:

You regard a man emaciated and scorn him,

The camel is of great size, but without any ken,

The puniest of birds has the largest number of chicks,

This idea was expressed by a poet who wrote:

O you who traveled to the Ancient House! It is thus,

We were prevented by hardships we had to endure,

Showing Off as a Way of Destroying One’s Deeds

If no sinner exhorts others to righteousness,

The man asked : “What is the matter with you?”

1. Publicizing one’s good deeds:

2. Making false claims:

Claims not backed by solid proofs

3. Becoming a show-off after having been sincere:

This brings us to the fourth way of showing off:

4. Abandoning deeds because of the people:

5. Making worship noticeable in a subtle way:

7. Bringing attention to the faults of others:

Because of myself I weep, not because of others,

Or maybe he should say as al-Shâfi`î said:

Let not your tongue mention the shame of another,

If your eye falls upon the sins of your brother,

“I swear by Allah, he is a good man, but he does such-and-such.”

8. Safeguarding one’s status and reputation:

10. Putting oneself on a pedestal:

“I see the matter to be such-and such…”

“What is quite evident to me is that …”

“The stance that we take on this issue is…”

They say: “This is, in our opinion, impermissible”

12. Seeking knowledge to acquire fame:

13. Feigning humility:

We have mentioned how Ibrâhîm al-Nakha`î, the prominent student of the

Abû Salamah b. `Abd al-Rahmân said: “The Companions of Allah’s Messenger

Kahmas b. al-Husayn relates that a man in the company of `Umar breathed

They replied: “We are ascetics.”

16. Conspicuously neglecting one’s outward appearance:

17. Making a display of lowering one’s gaze:

20. Being deceived by some fleeting act of devotion:

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